July 13, 2025
Christopher Bell is one of the elite road course racers in the NASCAR Cup Series, but he has struggled to put it all together at Sonoma Raceway. In four career starts in Wine Country, CBell has two top-10 finishes (in each of the last two seasons) but they were both ninth-place results--which is surprising considering he has posted five top-five finishes over the last 10 road course races overall. Eventually, though, Bell will get a great finish at Sonoma. Will that be this weekend? The No. 20 Toyota will roll off the starting grid from 10th-place for Sunday's Toyota/Save Mart 350, but Bell looked to have much better race speed than that in practice. In that session, he was seventh-best in five-lap average, third-best in 10-lap average, and second-fastest in 15-lap average. If those speeds hold true during the race, we should be looking at a career-best Sonoma finish out of Christopher Bell on Sunday.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
July 13, 2025
Ryan Blaney typically isn't the first driver that most people think of when it comes to the NASCAR Cup Series, but the Team Penske driver has been solid at Sonoma Raceway. Over the last seven races in Wine Country, Blaney has posted a top-10 finish five times, and in the three Next Gen races, he has two top-10 results and a driver rating over 100 in both of those events as well. This weekend, the No. 12 Ford showed good speed in practice (Blaney was fifth-best in five-lap average during practice) and then went out and qualified seventh for Sunday's Toyota/Save Mart 350. All signs point to this being a strong afternoon race for Blaney. As far as DFS goes, Blaney is strictly a tournament option due to his high starting position, but his strong track history makes him a very intriguing play on DraftKings, especially at his relatively cheap salary of $7,500.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
July 13, 2025
Pittsburgh Pirates first base/outfield prospect
Tony Blanco Jr. (leg) was sent on a rehab assignment to the Florida Complex League Pirates, according to Anthony Murphy of Baseball America. Blanco Jr. has yet to log any game action this season as he recovers from a leg injury. He's just 20 years old and has not yet made it past the FCL, so Blanco Jr. is still a ways off from the Majors. Power is Blanco Jr.'s calling card, and MLB.com ranks him as the #21 prospect in the Pirates' system. In 109 plate appearances in the Complex League last season, Blanco Jr. slashed .305/.385/.505 with four home runs and 17 RBI.
--Will BradySource: Baseball America - Anthony Murphy
July 13, 2025
The Athletic's Daniel Popper doesn't think the Los Angeles Chargers' coaching staff will give wide receiver
Quentin Johnston too many chances to prove himself as a starter during training camp this summer. The first-rounder in 2023 is going to have to earn his chances, especially after the team added
Tre Harris in the second round in April and reunited with
Mike Williams in free agency. L.A. also took wideout DeAndre Lambert-Smith in the fifth round, and Harris, Williams and Lambert-Smith all primarily play on the outside, which is also where Johnston plays. Johnston improved from Year 1 to Year 2, but he still had frustrating moments, and drops remain an issue. Receiver is going to be a highly competitive position in training camp, so Johnston is really going to have to perform in order to retain a starting position in three-wide sets for the Chargers in 2025.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Daniel Popper
July 13, 2025
Los Angeles Chargers rookie second-round wide receiver
Tre Harris is officially a holdout after not reporting with the rest of the team's rookies for the start of training camp, sources tell NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Harris and the Chargers continue to haggle over guaranteed money in his contract. It remains to be seen when something will get worked out for the 23-year-old, but for now, he's going to miss some developmental time in camp. Harris impressed the coaching staff during OTA and minicamp workouts, though, and he has the potential to make a fantasy impact in redraft leagues in his first year in the NFL with the Bolts in 2025, even in a run-first offense.
Ladd McConkey is the unquestioned WR1 for the Chargers, but Harris could be quarterback
Justin Herbert's go-to deep target if
Mike Williams and
Quentin Johnston continue to disappoint.
--Keith HernandezSource: NFL Network - Ian Rapoport
July 13, 2025
Bubba Wallace is currently in the thick of the points standings for the final Playoffs spot, as the 23XI Racing driver heads into Sonoma this weekend with a two-point advantage over Ryan Preece for the final postseason position. However, it's going to take a lot of race car improvements for Bubba to maintain that lead. The No. 23 Toyota has struggled to find any speed at Sonoma this race weekend, as Wallace was just 27th-fastest in practice on Saturday and then followed that up with a 30th-place qualifying effort for Sunday's Toyota/Save Mart 350. When it comes to track history, Bubba does have three top-20 finishes at Sonoma over the last four races, but he hasn't started this far back at this track since the 2019 season, and he finished 26th in that race. The No. 23 team will likely need to make a risky strategy call in order for Bubba to get any track position on Sunday.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
July 13, 2025
Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson obtained a starting position of 11th after qualifying for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway. It will be just the second time in his Cup Series career that he will begin a race at Sonoma outside of the top 10. In 10 races at the California road course, Larson has four top-10 finishes, including two victories. The No. 5 Chevrolet driver is the defending race winner of this week's race. After 19 races completed in the 2025 season, Larson has 12 top-10 finishes, which is the most of all drivers, and three victories. In practice, Larson ranked third in overall lap averages and displayed top-5 speeds in the five and 10 consecutive lap average categories. Larson is expensive to utilize in DFS this week, but his practice speeds do point to him being a driver who will compete for a top-5 finish at one of his better tracks in the Cup Series.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
July 13, 2025
The Boston Red Sox recalled right-hander
Richard Fitts from Triple-A Worcester on Saturday. The team placed righty
Hunter Dobbins (knee) on the 15-day injured list in a corresponding move. Dobbins is done for the year after suffering a torn ACL, which opens up the fifth spot in Boston's rotation for Fitts. The 25-year-old has made eight starts this year and gone 1-3 with a 4.28 ERA, a 1.22 WHIP, and 28:10 K:BB in 33 2/3 innings. That's passable back-end production, which is what the Red Sox are looking for in a Dobbins replacement.
--Connor ByrneSource: Boston Red Sox
July
13,
2025
Road
course
races
always
open
up
the
possibility
of
alternate
strategies
for
race
teams,
and
that
is
the
case
for
Ryan
Preece
and
the
No.
60
team
at
Sonoma
this
weekend.
Heading
into
the
Toyota/Save
Mart
350,
Preece
is
two
points
read more...
July 13, 2025
St. Louis Cardinals catcher
Ivan Herrera (hamstring) has begun getting "introductory workouts" in the outfield during his rehab assignment, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. Herrera hasn't played since June 19 because of a strained left hamstring. When he does return, the Cardinals plan to significantly cut his time behind the plate to reduce wear and tear. He'll primarily slot in at designated hitter upon activation, but occasionally lining up in the outfield would provide the team more flexibility to plug in various players at DH. Herrera's production this year has been stellar regardless of position. The 25-year-old has slashed .320/.392/.533 with eight home runs and 36 RBI in 171 plate appearances. Herrera is on track to return to the St. Louis lineup after the All-Star break.
--Connor ByrneSource: Derrick Goold
July 13, 2025
Considering he just finished 10th at Sonoma last season, it has been a bit of a surprise to see Todd Gilliland struggle to find any speed this weekend in Wine Country. The Front Row Motorsports driver was just 32nd-fastest (out of 37 cars) in practice on Saturday and then went out and qualified way back in 35th-place for Sunday's Toyota/Save Mart 350. Now NASCAR Fantasy players are left wondering, can Gilliland move up, or is he really that slow? Todd finished 10th at COTA earlier this year and followed that up with a 22nd-place finish at Mexico City before wrecking out at the Chicago Street Course last weekend. And in five of the last seven road course races in the Cup Series, Gilliland has posted a finish of 18th or better. Considering his 35th-place starting spot at Sonoma this weekend and his relatively cheap salary on DraftKings ($6,400), Gilliland could be a sneaky DFS Place Differential play on Sunday.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Jaysk
July 13, 2025
Joe Gibbs Racing's Ty Gibbs will start sixth for this week's Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway. Gibbs's starting position for this week's race matches the best of his Cup career at the California road course. In two previous races at Sonoma, Gibbs's best finish is 18th, and he also has one DNF at the site. With 19 races completed this season, Gibbs has four top-10 finishes, while going on a streak of five top-15 finishes in the last five Cup events. Gibbs also scored his best finish of the season last week at Chicago. In practice, Gibbs ranked fifth in overall lap averages and ranked among the top five fastest in all eligible categories on speed. Gibbs has typically been fast on the road courses, and this week is no exception based on his practice speeds. Despite never having a top-10 finish at Sonoma in the Cup Series, Gibbs is a driver to watch for the win this week.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
July 13, 2025
St. Louis Cardinals outfielder
Jordan Walker (appendix) remains without a timetable to return to the major leagues, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. Walker, who last played for the Cardinals on June 22, is on the 10-day injured list as a result of an appendectomy. The 23-year-old has returned to action on a rehab assignment in the minors, where he has been working on swing adjustments. Those changes have paid off lately, as Walker has homered twice in a three-game span with Double-A Springfield. Other than a promising rookie campaign in 2023, the former standout prospect hasn't hit much in the majors. Walker was batting an ugly .210/.267/.295 with three home runs and a 33% strikeout rate in 191 plate appearances this year before he went on the IL. The Cardinals have gotten much better production in right field from
Alec Burleson, who's slashing .289/.334/.463 with 11 homers and 43 RBI over 312 trips to the plate.
--Connor ByrneSource: Derrick Goold
July 13, 2025
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. qualified 34th for this weekend's race at Sonoma Raceway, which is pretty much par for the course for the Hyak Motorsports driver this season. So far through 19 races in 2025, Stenhouse has an average starting position of 27.0, but he has an average finish of 19.6, which has made him a DFS option most weeks due to the place-differential upside. The same is the case this weekend at Sonoma. Stenhouse is no road-course master by any means, but he's a servicable option in some NASCAR fantasy formats. Earlier this season at COTA, for example, he ended up finishing 18th, and here at Sonoma he has ended up finishing 25th, 12th, and 24th in the three Next Gen era races. At just $5,200 on DraftKings, Stenhouse is a cheap place-differential play that could save you some very valuable cap space in your DFS lineup.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Driver Averages
July 13, 2025
Trackhouse Racing's Ross Chastain will start fourth for Sunday's race at Sonoma Raceway, the Toyota/Save Mart 350. This will be Chastain's first Cup race at Sonoma, where he will start inside the top five in his Cup career. In five starts at the site, Chastain has four top-10 finishes, which all came in his last four appearances at the California road course. Through 19 races so far this season, Chastain has nine top-10 finishes and an average finish of 14.2. Chastain has placed between 10th and 16th in all three road course events this season, only scoring positive Place Differential in last week's race at Chicago. In practice for this week's race, Chastain ranked eighth in overall lap averages but ranked among the top five fastest in all other eligible categories. Chastain has little upside from his starting position, but his practice speeds and Sonoma history do point to another strong top-5 run, making him worth consideration in DFS formats, but especially in tournaments.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
July 13, 2025
The Boston Red Sox have not discussed which role right-hander
Tanner Houck (elbow) will take on when he returns from the injured list, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports. Houck has been working back from a flexor strain that he suffered in mid-May. Before going on the IL, the 2024 All-Star stumbled to an 0-3 record with an 8.04 ERA in nine starts and 43 2/3 innings. Having lost righty
Hunter Dobbins (knee) to a season-ending torn ACL this weekend, the Red Sox are set to plug
Richard Fitts into the fifth spot in their rotation. Barring any more injuries to the team's starting staff, it seems likely Houck will pitch out of the bullpen for the first time since 2022 when he comes back. He's expected to return sometime this month.
--Connor ByrneSource: Christopher Smith - MassLive.com
July 13, 2025
There are certain race weekends where Josh Berry easily falls into the sleeper category, but the race weekends at road courses are not one of them. Berry has never finished better than 22nd at a road course in his Cup Series career, and this weekend's Toyota/Save Mart 350 will mark his ninth attempt at this style of track. The No. 21 Ford will roll off the starting grid from 25th place when the race goes green, but it would be surprising to see Berry move up at all from that spot. In fact, it's much more likely he will fall back. In practice on Saturday, Berry ranked 29th-fastest out of 37 cars. He should be avoided in all NASCAR fantasy formats, even in DFS, where he is a very cheap option ($5,100 on DraftKings).
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Driver Averages
July 13, 2025
Chris Buescher of RFK Racing qualified 14th for this week's Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway. Buescher was the top qualifier of the three RFK entries in this week's race. In eight races at Sonoma, Buescher has seven top-20 finishes, including three top-5s in the last three Cup events at the site. After 19 races completed this season, Buescher has 14 top-20 finishes and an average finish of 13.9. Buescher has two top-10s at road courses this season and finished 18th in the only other road racing event at the Chicago Street Course. In practice for Sunday's race, Buescher ranked fourth in overall lap averages and 11th in five consecutive lap averages. Buescher is one of the best overall drivers at road courses in the field, and with his salary being around $8,600 on DraftKings at one of his better tracks of the past few years, makes him easy to recommend for all formats, especially with his favorable practice speeds.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
July 13, 2025
Baltimore Orioles left-handed reliever
Keegan Akin (shoulder) will face hitters Monday before beginning a potential rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports. Akin has been on the 15-day injured list with shoulder inflammation since July 1. The Orioles had to shut him down from throwing earlier this week after he received an injection in his shoulder, but he's now progressing toward a return. The 30-year-old has gone 3-0 with a 3.32 ERA, a 1.42 WHIP, 38:16 K:BB, and 12 holds over 38 innings.
--Connor ByrneSource: Roch Kubatko - MASNSports.com
July 13, 2025
Toronto Blue Jays outfielder
Daulton Varsho (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment in the Florida Coast League on Monday, according to Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet. Varsho could rejoin the Blue Jays out of the All-Star break if things go smoothly. The 29-year-old hasn't played since he strained his left hamstring on May 31. He also missed almost all of April while recovering from shoulder surgery. When healthy, Varsho has brought plenty of power to the table this year. The two-time 20-home run hitter is batting .207/.240/.543 with eight HRs in 100 plate appearances.
Myles Straw has gotten the majority of starts in center field with Varsho unavailable.
--Connor ByrneSource: Arden Zwelling
July 13, 2025
If you're looking for a deep sleeper to roll the dice on in this weekend's Toyota/Save Mart 350, consider 23XI Racing's Riley Herbst. While we don't talk about the rookie too much--considering he hasn't finished better than 14th this season--the road course venues have been a weird bright-ish spot for Herbst in 2025. After coming home with a 17th-place finish at COTA back in March, Herbst also finished 17th at Chicago Street Course last weekend. Additionally, when it comes to Sonoma, Riley has never ran here in the Cup Series, but he did just finish fifth in this weekend's Xfinity race. At $4,900 on DraftKings, Herbst is one of the cheapest drivers on the slate, and is by no means a slam dunk DFS pick this weekend. But if you need to save some cap space, and he fits in the lineup, why not roll the dice?
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Jayski
July 13, 2025
Houston Astros right-hander
Cristian Javier (elbow) began a rehab assignment in the Florida Complex League on Saturday. In his first start since undergoing Tommy John surgery in June 2024, Javier threw 35 pitches over 1 1/3 innings. He allowed two earned runs on three hits and three walks, striking out one. The 28-year-old's fastball reached 95 mph, and Astros manager Joe Espada said he felt "really good" afterward. The Astros remain optimistic that Javier will contribute in the second half of the season, according to Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle. Javier has a career 3.59 ERA in 501 innings, but it's anyone's guess how he'll fare coming off major surgery.
--Connor ByrneSource: Matt Kawahara
July 13, 2025
Team Penske's Joey Logano will start 22nd for the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway. This is the first time that Logano will start a Cup race outside of the top 20 at the California road course in his career. In 15 races at Sonoma, Logano has 12 top-20 finishes, including two top-10s in the last four Cup races at the site. Through 19 races so far this season, Logano has one win, 12 top-20 finishes, and an average finish of 17.6. Logano has one top-20 finish at road courses this season, coming at last week's race at the Chicago Street Course, but he has never finished worse than 24th at the track type in 2025. In practice for Sunday's race, Logano ranked 27th in overall lap averages and ninth in five consecutive lap averages. Considering his overall track history at Sonoma and his practice speeds, Logano is a sneaky and great overall DFS option for all formats this week.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
July 13, 2025
Austin Cindric of Team Penske will start 24th for Sunday's Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway. Cindric was the slowest qualifier of the three Penske entries in this week's race at Sonoma. In three previous races at the site, Cindric has one top-5 finish, but also collected positive Place Differential in all of his Cup appearances there. In 19 races completed this season, Cindric has 11 top-20 finishes and an average finish of 20.0. The No. 2 Ford driver also gained positive PD in all three road course events this season. In practice for Sunday's race, Cindric ranked 32nd in overall lap averages and did not run five consecutive lap averages. Cindric is a driver who historically is solid at road courses, but considering his slow practice speeds, he is not one of the first drivers that fantasy players should gravitate towards for lineup construction this week. Cindric's upside from his starting position does still make him playable in all formats, but he is not a top recommendation.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
July 13, 2025
Arizona Diamondbacks corner infield prospect
Gino Groover capped off a strong first half of the season with a 2-for-2 performance in Saturday's All-Star Futures Game, which the National League won 4-2. Both hits were singles, and the 23-year-old also scored once in the contest. The 2023 second-round draft pick came into the game riding a 20-game streak at Double-A Amarillo in which he reached base at least once via hit or walk, and is riding an 11-game hit streak, during which time he's gone 19-for-46 (.413). For the season, the D-backs' 10th-ranked prospect is slashing .312/.386/.469 with 16 doubles and 10 home runs. Now with 88 games under his belt at Double-A between 2024-25, look for the 6-foot-2 slugger to see some time at Triple-A later this season.
--Jarod RuppSource: MLB.com
July 13, 2025
Spire Motorsports driver Carson Hocevar is starting in the 23rd position for this week's Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway. Hocevar's starting position is the lowest of his Cup career to date at the California road course. In his only previous Sonoma start last season, Hocevar started 13th and finished 17th, losing a few positions, but still placing in the top 20. With 19 races completed so far in 2025, Hocevar has eight top-20 finishes, with an average finish of 23.5. However, only one of those came at a road course (13th at COTA) this season. In practice for this week's race, Hocevar ranked 30th in overall lap averages and 31st in five consecutive lap averages, while also spinning in practice. Hocevar's practice speeds do not inspire confidence, while his road course results this season have been mixed. With such mixed results and speeds, Hocevar is best recommended for tournaments, despite having enough upside to be playable in cash formats as well.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
July
13,
2025
Detroit Tigers
first
base/catching
prospect
Josue
Briceno
went
1-for-3
with
a
triple
and
a
run
scored
for
the
American
League
team
during
the
All-Star
Futures
Game,
in
which the
National
League
squad
ended
up
winning
4-2.
In
fact,
read more...
July 13, 2025
John Hunter Nemechek of Legacy Motor Club will start 18th for Sunday's Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway. Nemechek's starting position is a new career-best in the Cup Series at Sonoma. In his only Cup start at Sonoma in 2024, Nemechek started 37th, gained positive Place Differential, and finished 29th. After 19 races so far in 2025, Nemechek has nine top-20 finishes and an average finish of 18.9, highlighted by two top-15 finishes in his last two road course events. Notably, Nemechek has captured positive PD in all three road course events this season. In practice, Nemechek ranked 21st in overall lap averages and 12th in five and 10 consecutive lap averages. Despite offering lower upside than most around his salary range of $6,200 on DraftKings, Nemechek has quietly been one of the better performers at road courses in terms of scoring PD this season. Nemechek is a sneaky driver who should be considered in all formats, but especially in tournaments.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
July 13, 2025
With two road courses and Daytona left in the seven races before the NASCAR playoffs begin, A.J. Allmendinger has not been totally eliminated from playoff contention as he is only 43 points behind Bubba Wallace for the final playoff transfer spot and he is much better on road courses than the two drivers he is chasing, Wallace and Ryan Preece. He might view himself as being in a must-win scenario and focusing on getting stage points, but he declined to do that at the Chicago Street Course last week and still finished fifth. Since it seems more likely he'll repeat the latter strategy, he probably won't lead many laps and he'll probably be stuck behind Shane van Gisbergen all day. He's still worth starting since he's likelier to overachieve his DFS salary expectations more than most drivers, particularly in a race where few road course stars qualified poorly, but he probably isn't quite the best option.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
July 13, 2025
After having not won a race since his second straight fluky Daytona 500 win and back-to-back DNFs in the last two races which nearly cost him the points lead, William Byron is going to be a little undervalued for DFS play at Sunday's Sonoma race, particularly since he is starting third and is likely to lose a lot of place-differential points and because he is the fourth-most expensive driver at $10,000. Furthermore, Byron has only earned a single top-10 finish here in 2022, which was only a ninth-place finish. Although the track might not favor him, the track type does, as Byron had three straight top-10 finishes, including a third at the Charlotte roval and a second at Austin, so it seems inevitable that he'll run well at Sonoma soon. However, given his current record to date, he's probably not quite worth starting for DFS as expensive as he is.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
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